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Do you have a routine that you think allows you to go into a big event at the top of your game? How does it help you?
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Do you have a routine to play your best bridge How do you prepare for a big event?
#1
- Tubthumper
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Posted 2008-July-06, 12:09
Chris Gibson
#2
- Under bidder
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Posted 2008-July-06, 12:22
Didn't Justin once write a few pages about this? Not sure if it was on this forum or in his blog. I do know that I couldn't say anything that adds to it.
Please note: I am interested in boring, bog standard, 2/1.
- hrothgar
- hrothgar
#3
- Tubthumper
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Posted 2008-July-06, 15:34
I looked in the squeezing the dummy blog and searching Jlall and keywords "prepare" and "routine", but wasn't able to find anything close to what you were talking about.
Chris Gibson
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Posted 2008-July-06, 16:47
For me:
1. reading system notes.. this is usually very important for me because I tend to play a lot of complex methods, altho I didn't the last time I played a big event.
2. work out a bit more.. try to get a into a little better physical shape, because stamina is more important than most realize... play high level bridge for 6 straight days, and by the 7th you can be more than a little tired, which is why the finals of major events rarely feature a lot of consistent excellence.
3. This last part is not part of preparation, but during the event I eat little, and make sure that what I do eat is healthy... lots of fruit before a session, and maybe some fruit during a session. At most one or two beer after the evening session, lots of sleep (or at least lots of quiet time in the hotel room). I treat these events (for me, about the only event I play is the CNTC every other year or so) as work, not entertainment.
4. Expanding on the last point: in terms of mindset, have a goal: and the goal is not to have a good time, or even to 'play the best I can'. The goal is, depending on your personal record and your team's, to reach a stage of the competition. Most of us are not going to enter the Spingold with a goal of winning it, but we could have the goal of winning our first match. Or we may have a goal, in a big round-robin then KO, of getting through the round-robin...later, once we've done that, we have a goal of reaching the final, or of winning. Your goal should be higher, if possible, than your best previous effort.
Show me a happy loser, and I will show you a loser.
1. reading system notes.. this is usually very important for me because I tend to play a lot of complex methods, altho I didn't the last time I played a big event.
2. work out a bit more.. try to get a into a little better physical shape, because stamina is more important than most realize... play high level bridge for 6 straight days, and by the 7th you can be more than a little tired, which is why the finals of major events rarely feature a lot of consistent excellence.
3. This last part is not part of preparation, but during the event I eat little, and make sure that what I do eat is healthy... lots of fruit before a session, and maybe some fruit during a session. At most one or two beer after the evening session, lots of sleep (or at least lots of quiet time in the hotel room). I treat these events (for me, about the only event I play is the CNTC every other year or so) as work, not entertainment.
4. Expanding on the last point: in terms of mindset, have a goal: and the goal is not to have a good time, or even to 'play the best I can'. The goal is, depending on your personal record and your team's, to reach a stage of the competition. Most of us are not going to enter the Spingold with a goal of winning it, but we could have the goal of winning our first match. Or we may have a goal, in a big round-robin then KO, of getting through the round-robin...later, once we've done that, we have a goal of reaching the final, or of winning. Your goal should be higher, if possible, than your best previous effort.
Show me a happy loser, and I will show you a loser.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari
#5 Guest_Jlall_*
Posted 2008-July-06, 22:36
han, on Jul 6 2008, 01:22 PM, said:
Didn't Justin once write a few pages about this? Not sure if it was on this forum or in his blog. I do know that I couldn't say anything that adds to it.
Yeah I've written about it both here and on the blog. Basically just be focused and don't be distracted lol.
#6
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Posted 2008-July-07, 01:26
Karen McCallum's thoughts on this subject can be found at http://www.clairebridge.com/textes/winning.pdf (PDF).
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